TOLEDO, Ohio — The 21st annual International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference is expected to bring people from all over the world to the University of Toledo.
Dr. Celia Williamson, the Executive Director of UToledo's Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute, said the conference's goal is to advance the understanding and prevention of human trafficking. The three-day conference will be made up more than 100 different sessions.
Williamson said people from 27 different countries and 47 US states will participate in the conference's efforts to raise awareness about human trafficking.
"We are moving from asking people to rescue and restore victims to human rights," Williamson said. "And we are moving from this blanket idea that anybody can be trafficked to really drilling down on those populations at high risk, and the probability that they will be trafficked."
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She said it is the largest and oldest academic conference in the world and this year, the conference will share resources and paint a picture of what human trafficking looks like in real life.
"The other thing that's misinformed and confused, is people that say anybody can be trafficked, as if everybody has an equal chance. That's not true," Williamson said. "There are populations that are at higher risk of being trafficked. And so it's very important that we understand who that high risk is so we can channel our resources."
The conference begins Wednesday and lasts through Friday. For more information, click here.
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